music & culture.

I Stand With Jemele Hill

It was recently reported that ESPN will be reprimanding sports commentator, Jemele Hill, with a two-week suspension following her comments calling Donald Trump a “white supremacist.”

Jemele Hill said absolutely nothing but the truth. What kind of country are we living in that people get job suspensions for speaking their minds and criticizing their government?

Donald Trump is a white supremacist:

While he was the Republican candidate for President of the United States of America, Donald Trump retweeted fake statistics that ridiculously exaggerated the rate at which black people murder white people

As a private citizen, Trump advocated for the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York state after the Central Park rape case made headlines. In a 1989 advertisement, he proclaimed “I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.” In 2014, twenty-five years later, the five falsely accused Black and Latino men reached a settlement in the case and Trump wrote an opinion piece calling it a “disgrace.”

As a reality TV star, Trump led the “birther” campaign against President Barack Obama, he stood by the belief that our first black president was not born in the United States. This is one of the most racist escapades in the 21st century.

Again as a presidential candidate, Trump said at his kickoff event, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. … They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” When Don Lemon of CNN questioned Trump about the offensiveness of those comments, Trump responded, “Somebody’s doing the raping, Don.”

Look at the bullet points listed above. Donald Trump is a racist and a fake news-promoting white supremacist. Jemele Hill stated facts and was punished. Do you know which countries punish people for criticizing the government? Fascist countries. Jemele Hill is a black woman, she needs to be protected and supported. It was certainly not an easy journey for her to get where she is today, her accomplishments and career should not be ruined by the Trumpian regime.

After The Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, said he would not play anyone on his team who took a knee during the national anthem, Jemele Hill tweeted that fans who disagreed should make their feelings known by targeting Cowboys advertisers. Jemele Hill made it explicitly clear that she was not advocating an NFL boycott.

Jemele’s breakdown of white supremacy, white privilege, and how to dismantle it was as provocative as it was educational. These comments need to be seen and heard, especially given her audience. Sports is one of the quintessential pieces of American life, and its history is explicitly tied into structural racism and discrimination. Jemele used her forum for the greater good and for that she must be celebrated and advocated for. Jemele made her comments on her personal Twitter account, she has just as much right to the First Amendment as anyone else. Under the First Amendment, United States citizens are free to disagree with and criticize government officials… Jemele is a United States citizen… do you see where I’m going with this?